The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has paid tribute to Megafu Chinelo, a doctor who was shot and killed in the Kaduna train attack on Monday.
Professor (Dr) Innocent A O Ujah, FNMA, President of the NMA, said in a statement on Tuesday that her death was horrific and preventable.
Indeed, all Medical and Dental Practitioners operating under the auspices of the NMA are deeply saddened by the tragic, horrific, and preventable death of one of our members, Dr Chinelo Megafu Nwando, who is reported to have died from injuries sustained from gun shots when the train she was traveling in from Abuja to Kaduna was attacked by suspected bandits,” the statement read in part.
Chinelo worked at the Kaduna State Dental Centre, according to the NMA.
When the attack occurred, she was on her way from Abuja to Kaduna.
“I’m on the train and I’ve been shot.” Please pray for me,” Dr Chinelo had tweeted just hours before her death was confirmed.
In a statement condemning the unfortunate incident, the NMA stated that the country’s growing insecurity has made every Nigerian vulnerable to such attacks.
“As an Association, we vehemently condemn the country’s worsening insecurity, which has rendered all of us and Nigerians in general vulnerable to violent attacks by hoodlums, bandits, kidnappers, and terrorists, who are currently having a field day causing us deep sorrows and severe pains.”
The untimely death of Dr Chinelo, a young, promising dentist who worked at the Kaduna State Dental Centre and St Gerrard’s Hospital in Kakuri while trying to make a living, is one death too many. The Association notes that “needless bloodshed and senseless loss of life is fast becoming a recurring decimal in our country, worsening the alarming effects of brain drain, which in many cases has been attributable to the country’s deteriorating security situation,” according to the statement.
As a result, the association called on security agencies to urgently reorganize the country’s security architecture with a focus on intelligence gathering in order to avoid these carnages across the country.
The association also suggested that the Federal Government seriously consider establishing state police to supplement the efforts of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).
“The importance of recruiting more security personnel and providing them with modern security gadgets and ammunition cannot be overstated,” Professor Ujah said.
The organization prayed to God to give the families of Dr. Chinelo and all other victims of the tragic incident the strength to bear the irreparable loss.
They also prayed for the quick recovery of all those who were injured by gunshots while attempting to flee the attack.
